Machine for cleaning and polishing metal plates



(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. BURTON, MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING METAL PLATES.

No. 594,149. Patented Nov. 23, 1897.

Baum? We 0 m uau WITNESSES:

TORNEY.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. BURTON.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING METAL PLATES.

No. 594,149. Patented Nov. 23, 1897.

W/T/VESSES: INVENTOR I L7 7u1/ bzarom;

(No Model.) A 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

I J'.BURTON. MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING METAL PLATES. No.594,149. Patented .Nov. 23,1897.

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4 sheets sheet 4 (No Model.)

. J..BUR-TON, MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING METAL PLATES.

Patented Nov. 23, 1897.

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ATTORNEY.

llnrrnn STATES PATENT Ormcn.

JOHN BURTON, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING METAL PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,149, dated November28, 1897.

7 Application filed December 21, 1896. Serial No. 616,448. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN BURTON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,(having declared my intention to become a citizen of the United States,)residing at Anderson, in the county of Madison and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forCleaning and Polishing Metal Plates, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of my said invention is to provide a machine by which tinplates as they are drawn from the tinning-machine proper will be takenfrom said machine and without manual labor cleaned and polished to acondition ready for use.

A machine embodying my said invention will be first fully described andthe novel features thereof then pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

which are made a part hereof, and on which similar letters and numeralsof reference indicate similar parts, Figure 1 is a rear e1eva tion of amachine embodying my said invention; Fig. 2, anelevation of one side ofthe machine; Fig. 3, an elevation of the other side of the machine, andFig. 4 a central sectional View.

This machine consists, generally speaking, of a framework A, containinga series of carrying, cleaning, and polishing rolls arranged as will behereinafter described, and also carrying hoppers containing the bran ormixture which aids in the cleaning operation. It also includes areceptacle into which the sheets of tin fall after the cleaning andpolishing operations are completed. Said receptacle consists in part ofparts of the sides of the frame A, within which is secured a bottom A,terminating in an end a, arranged below the carrying and polishingrolls, as best shown in Fig. 4. This machine should be mounted on tracksB, so that it may be moved to or away from the tinning-machine O, as theexigencies of its use and of the use of said tinningmachine may require.It is provided with the trucks a to enable it to be easily moved. Inoperation it is positioned alongside the tinning-machine, and while inoperation is securely fastened in fixed relation thereto by stays 0,extending out therefrom and united to the frame by bolts 0 or otherwise.The

tinning-machine is or may be of any ordinary or desired construction andcontains various sets of rolls, as is common. Of these I haveillustrated only the final ones 0, which deliver the sheets after beingcoated with tin to my improved machine, as best illustrated in Fig. 4 ofthe drawings.

The machine is provided with a main driving-shaft 1 and a counterdriving-shaft 2,

which is driven from said main shaft by means of the spur-gears 3 and 4.From a pulley 5 on the former are driven by means of the belt 6 theseries of cleaning-rolls 7 and polishing rolls 8, while from asprocket-wheel 9 on the latter are driven by means of the sprocketchain10 one each of several pairs of'carrying-rolls 11, which areinterspersed among the cleaning and polishing rolls. By thisarrangement, as will be readily seen, both rolls of each pair of thecleaning and polishing rolls are driven, while one of each pair ofcarrying-rolls runs idly, except as driven by contact with the platespassing between the pairs. One roll of each pair of carrying-rolls isadjustable, as shown, a bearing at each end thereof being operated by anadj Listing-screw s. The first pair of carrying-rolls only serves toreceive the sheets of tin as they come from the tinning-machine and passthem along to the train of carrying-rolls which drives said sheets alongbetween the cleaning-rolls, and there is a curve in the way or guide 9between this first set of rolls and. the first set by which thenecessary change of direction of motion of the'sheets of tin is secured.

Upon the frame A, I place one or more hoppers D, which I fill with anabsorbent and cleaning material, generally bran, containing bypreference a slight admixture of lime.

These hoppers are so positioned as to deliver the material onto thesheets of tin as they are passing through the machine and also into thecylindrical brushes whichform the first of the cleaning-rolls. Theconsequence is that this absorbent and cleaning material is thoroughlybrushed onto the surface of the plates of tin, removing the oil whichadheres thereto as they come from the tinning-machine and' leaving thesaid plates in a clean condition ready to be polished. This branning, asI denominate it, is an important part of the work to be performed by mymachine. As will be observed, the cleaning rolls or brushes 7 arearranged in sets of two pairs each, so that each hopper suppliesmaterial to two pairs, the material being supplied to the upper pair ofeach set by being carried to it on the surface of the upwardly-travelingplates. The chute D leads to a box or receptacle D into which the usedmaterial will fall, which is thus gathered so that it may be reused. Theupper end of the chute D is so arranged about the brushing or cleaningrolls 7 as to receive the discharge of material from all of them, aswill be best understood by an inspection of Fig. 4. r

I may here remark that the three sets of carrying-rolls 11, betweenwhich the sheets of tin pass before they reach the brushing or cleaningrolls proper, serve in large measure to remove the oil which adheresthereto as they come from the tinning-machine. Of course the greaterportion of this is done by the first set, which is directly above thetinning-machine, so that most of the oil flows back into saidtinning-machine directly.

At the apex of the frame A, I position guides E, into which the edges ofthe sheets of tin will enter as they pass from the final set ofcarrying-rolls and be thus kept upright until they have escaped entirelyfrom said rolls. Then the lower edges of the sheets are carried over therearmost of said rolls, which also forms one of another pair of rollssituated at that point and by which the sheets are carried downwardly,as will be readily seen by an inspection of the drawings, especiallyFig. 4. Intermediate the second set of carrying-rolls in thisdownwardly-actuating train are positioned the polishing-rolls. Thecarrying-rolls are driven at a comparatively slow speed, while thepolishing as well as the cleaning rolls are driven at a comparativelyhigh speed. The consequence is that the sheets of tin are permitted todescend rather slowly, while the polishing-rolls, being driven not onlyat a greater speed actually, but being also larger in size, (which ofcourse increases the peripheral speed,) have a large action on thesurfaces of the tin plates, which are thus polished very thoroughly.Said polishing-rolls are in the form of cylinders and are covered with apolishing material. I prefer sheepskin tanned with the wool on for thispurpose. This is indicated by the difference in shading in Fig. 1. Thepolishing rolls are there shown as having a woolly surface, while theearrying-rolls are shown as plain smooth cylinders.

The operation may be stated as follows: As the sheets of tin pass out ofthe tinningmachine they are delivered by the final rolls 0 thereof tothe initial set of carrying-rolls 11 of my improved machine, as is bestshown in Fig. 4, and carried thence up in an inclined path between thefirst or upwardly-actuating train of carrying-rolls and thecleaning-rolls 7 and under the mouths of the bran hoppers or receptaclesD to the upper end of the machine, being cleaned of oilduring thepassage. As they arrive at the apex of the machine they are carried overthe middle one of the carrying-rolls at that point and begin to descendbetween the second or downwardly-actuating train of carrying-rolls, downbetween the polishing-rolls 8, by which they are polished, and thencedelivered into the receptacle A a provided therefor, whence they can beremoved in any desired manner. The cleaning-rolls which operate duringthe ascent of the sheets are preferably in the form of cylindricalbrushes, while the polishing-rolls are cylinders covered with sheepskintanned with the wool on.

As will be readily seen, the operation of the machine is entirelyautomatic, as it receives the sheets of tin from the tinning-machine,subjects them to the various operations provided for, and delivers themfully treated to a suitable receptacle without the interposition of anymanual operation.

The machine as a whole is driven by a belt X, running to a pulley w,from some suitable source of power. (Not shown.)

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for cleaning and polishing metal plates, thecombination, of the train of carrying rolls on one side of the uprightframe, a series of sets of brushing or cleaning rolls interposed betweenthem, hoppers containing an absorbent material mounted on said frame,one near and adapted to discharge directly onto each set of saidcleaning-rolls, a second train of carrying-rolls leading downwardly onthe opposite side of said frame, polishing-rolls interposed betweenthem, said first set of carrying-rolls being adapted to deliver theplates to said second set of carrying-rolls, whereby they are firstcleaned and then polished automatically by a single ma chine,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a tinning-machine, of a cleaning and polishingmachine mounted to move toward and from said tin-.

hing-machine, means for securing them in fixed relation, the frame ofsaid cleaning and polishing machine being formed with an overhangingportion adapted to project over the top of the tinning-machine, a trainof carrying-rolls mounted on said frame, the lower pair of which aredirectly above the final set clined on oneside and substantiallyvertical upon the other side, a train of carrying-rolls having brushingor cleaning rolls interposed between them mounted on the inclined sideof the frame, and a train of carrying-rolls having polishing-rollsinterposed between them mounted on the vertical side of the frame,whereby the plates being treated are cleaned while traveling up saidinclined side and polished while descending said vertical side of saidmachine, substantially as shown and described.

4:. The combination, in a machine for finishing metal plates, of aframework running to an apex, trains of carrying-rolls leading upwardlyon one side toward said apex and downwardly therefrom upon the otherside,

the set of rolls near the apex of the machine consisting of three, thecenter one of which forms one of each of the two pairs, one leadingupwardly, and the other downwardly, and guides positioned above saidcentral roll, whereby the plate is heldupright until it reaches itsextreme upper position, and is then guided over said central roll to thesecond pair of the set, by which it is caused to descend.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 19th day of December, A. D. 1896.

JOHN BURTON. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

CHESTER BRADFORD, JAMES A. WALSH.

